Juntos Podemos fosters community in Salinas

Jaime Molina belongs to a group of men, the Compadres Network, dedicated to spreading a message of what it means to be a true man. A man who honors his parents, has respect and integrity.

It's a set of values that youths who fall on hard times seem to lose, and they need to regain to resist the lure of easy solutions, such as drugs and alcohol, Molina said.

When young men "don't have self-esteem, pride, that is when they're easy to lure and vulnerable to being recruited by the gangs," Molina said.

Molina promotes the set of beliefs that emphasize family values in workshops designed for youths and parents, in talks that can span hours or take place over weeks.

On Saturday, he will offer a taste of his teachings during the fourth community forum of Juntos Podemos, an organization reaching out to the community with information and resources to help solve the violence in Salinas.

"When our people don't have a sense of purpose, they're confused, and when young people don't clarify that confusion, they get angry, stressed out," Molina said. "If they're angry, they do something unhealthy. If nobody helps them deal with the anger, it turns into hate. That's why we see our young men turning to self hate."

Juntos Podemos — it means "together we can" — was founded in 2012 by Spanish TV personality Erandi Garc'a after her father was gunned down as he headed for work one morning.

The organization has since held three community forums where people who attend can find out information about where to seek help if they see their children falling through the cracks. The group's ultimate goal is to stop violence.

"We wanted to get police officers and organizations in prevention and intervention to be partners with us so we could provide all of this information to the community so they can learn there's other alternatives to a life of crime," said Esmeralda Montenegro, co-chair of the organization.

The organization works with Spanish-language media to reach the immigrant community and inform them about topics that may be foreign to newcomers. What to do when a police officer stops you, for instance, Montenegro said.

"In their countries of origin, many police officers are corrupt," she said, implying people don't readily trust men in uniforms.

"Working with Spanish television, radio and newspapers, we're capturing this audience with simple tips and resources," Montenegro said.

The theme of the forum is family values, where respect, honesty, communication and integrity will be touted as crucial in crime prevention.

There will be other speakers besides Molina, and a panel of experts in education, prevention, intervention, health and public safety will be present to answer questions. The panel will be moderated by William Arrocha of the Monterey Institute of International Studies.